It’s Not You, It’s ‘Removing Layers’: Wave of Corporate Layoffs (And Lingo) Hits Workers

In other words, you’re out of a job. Like tens of thousands of other corporate-speak victims.

The causes vary widely: turbulent markets, President Donald Trump’s tariffs on pretty much every U.S. trading partner, the rise of artificial intelligence, etc. But the result is the same: Significant job reductions at many large corporate employers.

Here are some of the cuts announced in the last few weeks:

Amazon said this week it was cutting approximately 14,000 jobs. That’s roughly 4% of its total workforce. The retail giant blamed AI, in part, describing that tech as “the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet.”

“We’re convinced that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business,” the company said.

Target announced last week it’s cutting 1,800 corporate jobs. That may not seem like much, but it’s the most significant reduction the retailer has announced in a decade.

Nestlé, the maker of Nescafé, KitKats, pet foods and many other well-known consumer brands, plans 16,000 job cuts over the next two years.

GM says slowing demand for electric vehicles is partly to blame for the automaking giant laying off about 1,700 workers in Michigan and Ohio manufacturing sites.

None of this is to say that corporate flexibility is a bad thing. A major feature of capitalism is that firms hire when they need workers and lay off when they aren’t doing well. Such is life.

But as someone pushed out of two jobs in the last five years, I can tell you that corp’ talk about flexibility or de-layering or being “nimble” just adds insult to injury. You’re cutting costs? I get that. Please don’t dress it up like a family pet for Halloween.